Q: You seem like a pretty bright guy. What do you think about this? Some of my friends are critical of Paul Ryan
because of his budget proposal that he put out a few years back. They say that he would take away a lot of
benefits that the government gives us. I
have heard others say it is better to do something.
Is his plan something I should vote for?
A: Thanks for the
compliment. My ex would not agree with
you about me being such a bright guy.
Before I respond, I have a couple of comments about your
question. First of all, when you vote
for president there is really only so much they can do without the backing of
Congress. Secondly, Paul Ryan is the vice
presidential candidate. Romney will be
the prime idea guy so voting for Romney/Ryan is not a vote for Paul Ryan's
budget proposal.
I also have to make a comment about your friends
statement that "he would take away a lot of benefits that the government
gives us." You must realize that if the government gives us a benefit that
cost money, they must either take money from others or print more money that
puts us further in debt.
Now, finally to respond to your question - We have to go back to early 2011 when Paul
Ryan was Chairman of the House Budget
Committee. In the opinion of many
economists, unlike the typical Congressional budget resolution, the Ryan plan
was not only comprehensive in its scope, but it was presented in a refreshingly
transparent manner.
Every proposal in
this nearly 75-page document—from discretionary spending and Medicaid, to taxes
and welfare spending—was explained and justified in a way that any taxpayer
could understand.
The press and critics zeroed in on Ryan's bold proposals
for reforming entitlements, such as Medicaid and Medicare. Unfortunately, serious
attention was not given to the tax side of the plan. Making the tax system conducive to long-term
economic growth is just as critical to solving the nation's fiscal crisis as is
reining in uncontrolled spending.
I could go on and on about the plan, but let me say
this - At least it was a starting
point. In my opinion, at least he and his
committee had the guts to start the process.
